Discussions related to PostgreSQL development. I might also blog/consolidate any database and open source related articles here. So keep a watch.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Open source development!

I got associated with PostgreSQL development since last yearand half. What a amazing experience it has been! I had neverbeen a part of any open source project before that, so it was avery refreshing change for me. Now I wonder if I would everbe able to work in a proprietary software development projects.That's not as scary as you might think because open sourcesoftware are going great guns and I believe they would doso for next many years and decades.

So you may wonder what do I like so much about open sourceand community driven software development. I think there arequite a few reasons it excites me. First, I get to interact with somany people who IMHO are much smarter than me. That givesme opportunity to learn from them. Second, I like theopen communication that goes on the mailing lists. I get a chance(like everybody else) to express my opinions freely. That alsoteaches me how to work in a remote/distributed environment andthe experience is unparalleled in today globalized world. Third, itbrings me a lot of recognition. Remember, all the work I amdoing is available for everybody to see and measure. One caneasily review my work and also see reviews done by others.I believe that would help me establish credibility overa period of time.

You may ask, how do I earn my livelihood by working ona Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) ? Well, thats not sodifficult. For example, with companies like EnterpriseDBgetting solidly behind the open source software projects likePostgreSQL, its not hard to earn some $s while working onyour favorite technology. Of course, you need to be committedand focused on your work. There is no getting away fromhard work :-)